I have recently (May 2007) been called to serve the Utqiagvik Presbyterian Church in Barrow, Alaska. I am trying to chronicle some of my observations as well as comments on life in the Arctic Circle.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Hiding in Plain Sight

Grace and greetings

Have you ever come upon something that you see everyday, but do not really notice it? When I was taking these pictures back in January, I first noticed the room with windows on the second floor of the Alaska Airlines building. After I noticed it, I wondered what it was used for.

Last week, I found out that it is just a glorified break room for the airline employees, with exercise equipment to boot. I found out, because they will sometimes use the room for other occasions as well, like last week. The mother of the young man that died was flying in from the oil fields where she works, I think for Alaska Airlines. They ushered her directly up there from the plane to meet with her family; as pastor, I was part of the group.

Yesterday, we had the funeral, it was a long and emotional service for the Witness of the Resurrection. This afternoon, I officiated another funeral for a young woman who died from cancer that she had been battling for the past year or so.

How often do we walk, or drive by something everyday and not notice it; whether the "it" is a place, thing or a person. All too often, we, especially I, become too focused that I do not notice things that are out of my line of vision. Just as Jesus taught that anytime we do something for the "least of these", the outcast, the unnoticed, we do it for Jesus as well. The opposite is true as well, every time we walk by and not notice the least of these, we do not notice Jesus.

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About Me

I am half of a clergy couple, which means my wife is also a Presbyterian Minister, but she is on disability at the moment. I have a daughter, and she has three wonderful children living in Alabama. My wife and I have a soon to be 18 year old son; as he tells us that he can vote for president this year!
We have served churches throughout the United States in our twenty years as ministers, but never the same church together. We have returned to my "home" state of Alaska, and to the place where my wife did her internship for seminary, Barrow, Alaska.